This invention relates to adaptive material deposition for additive manufacturing, and more particularly, to scanning feedback for planning of material deposition to match an object model.
In one approach to additive manufacturing, a digital model is preprocessed to specify a series of parallel planar layers. Specifications of the layers are sent to a fabrication machine that deposits the layers one by one from the bottom to the top to form the object. In some machines, the fabricated layers may be mechanically planarized using a roller (e.g., for photopolymer, phase-change fabrication), a scraper (e.g., for powder-based fabrication), or a mill (e.g., for wax-based fabrication).
In another additive manufacturing process, a closed feedback loop approach uses a 3D scanner or a profilometer to scan the part as it is being manufactured. In an example disclosed in the Applicant's prior patent application publication US2016/0023403, a pre-process slices a digital object model into planar slices, and layers are deposited according to the pre-planned slices. The scanning may occasionally detect an incorrect layer thickness or surface height, and correction layers inserted to planarize the current topmost surface so that further originally planned slices can be used to deposit further layers on the object to yield a fabricated object that accurately matches the digital object model.